But you, Israel, my servant Jacob, my chosen one, the seed of my friend Abraham, I brought you from the ends of the earth, called you from the ends of the earth, and said to you, "You are my servant." I choose you, but I won't refuse you. 10 Don't be afraid, because I am with you; Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, help you, and support you with my righteous right hand. 1 1 Look, everyone who is angry with you will be ashamed and humiliated, and those who contend with you will come to nothing and perish. 12 You have to look for those who fight with you, but you can't find them anywhere. The people you fight with will become nothing, nothing. 13 Because I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand and say to you, "Don't be afraid. I will help you. 」
The premise of "no fear" is fear. In the past, there were two situations in Israel's democracy: (1) When facing God, people were afraid (Dan 17-8, Shi 6 22-23, Ex 20 18-2 1). The appearance of God is a terrible appearance because people can't control and master it. When people face the existence of God, they will feel afraid. 」; (2) When faced with the threat of life and war, people will be afraid (Shu 8 1, Shi 8, Min 2 1 34, Shen 1 2 1). At this time, God himself said in the war: "Don't be afraid! In order to convince people that he will win.
Secondly, Isaiah encouraged the exiles to return to Jerusalem. People will be afraid of the roads in the wilderness. They feel that their lives are threatened and the road ahead is out of their control. At this time, the Lord said to the people through the prophet, "Don't be afraid, because I am with you!" " (Isaiah 4 1: 10) The Lord promised Emmanuel's faith and assured the people that their existence would not change, which became the reason why they should not be afraid. Even if the environment is unfavorable and life is dying, when people look to God, they know that they need not be afraid. What is the basis of this confidence and peace? Why does God have to be with Israel? The answer is God's choice.
Sections 8-9 of chapter 4 1 refer to the Israeli people as "my servants" twice. Section 8 even points out that Jacob is "my chosen one", and Section 9 also says "I have chosen you, and I will never abandon you". God's choice is the second Isaiah's basic understanding of the people of Israel (Isaiah 4 1: 8-9, Isaiah 43: 65: 438+00, Isaiah 44: 65: 438+0. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, but God chose them to be God's people (Exodus 19: 4-6), which made them break away from the status of "servants of Egypt" and become "servants of God". When the Israelites are brought to Babylon, even if they encounter unprecedented difficulties, it will not change their position chosen by God. This identity is the real reason why they "don't be afraid".
Thought:
In the face of challenges in life, there are always reasons to be afraid. Jacob, the servant of God, left the Anshu area of Babylon and entered the dangerous zone of the wilderness. There are dangers, but when people recognize their true identity again, they have the capital of "not being afraid". We are afraid because we are too influenced by the environment to control our chosen identity, forget that God is with us, and even forget that he is our God. Are you willing to rediscover your true identity from today and move forward vigorously on the road of wilderness?